Sunday, June 24, 2007

Saying Goodbye

Goodbyes are never easy. Friday at 2pm the students said goodbye to the children. When you serve, you always receive a blessing from God. Lives were changed this week...praise God!

Friday - Carnival

Friday was our last day at the Agape Community Center. Today was a beautiful day...the rain held off and the sunshine was great! Many children brought family and friends with them to the Agape Center for a time of fun and food. Hotdogs were served. Over 15 booths were set up for the children. Our students did a great job running the carnival booths.

Here are a few pictures of our students preparing for the carnival.



After the morning of preparation it was finally time for the children and community to arrive. For two hours we entertained the children with games and food. They truly had a great time, as did we.


Thursday, June 21, 2007

Video of the Day

Today's winners were Rocky and Daniel. They found a boxing game to play at ESPN Zone. It was so comical watching them box the screen. We had more fun laughing at them. I had more fun watching Julie coach Rocky.

This is Daniel boxing. I hope you can see it because it was dark upstairs.

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Here's Julie coaching Rocky.

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This is Rocky Balboa, the Italian Stallion, during his debut match.


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ESPN Zone

During our free time tonight, we ventured to the ESPN zone downtown. Being the sports fanatic that I am, I was in heaven...especially since the USA Men's Soccer team was playing Canada at Soldier Field (here in Chicago) and it was being broadcasted on the tv's in the ESPN Zone. We were served and then headed off upstairs to play video games. The students really had a blast; sports fanatics or not, everyone had a fun time playing. I did capture a few pictures of the students playing and laughing. Enjoy!

Chicago Zoo with Campers

Today we took all the campers to the Chicago zoo. What a great day for a trip to the zoo. The weather was absolutely gorgeous. It was about 80-85 degrees and a nice breeze. I think most of us never broke a sweat after three hours of walking. It will be culture shock coming back to 98 degree weather with 110% humidity. The campers seem to have a great time. They were so excited about seeing the animals and spending the day with their leaders. Our students also had a great time.
Below are some pictures of our time at the zoo and the landmarks we saw as we traveled there.

Thursday prayer requests

Today is zoo day with the campers. Our students are excited but very tired. Please continue to pray for them. Today is a physically exhausting day. Three hours at the zoo chaperoning children is also mentally exhausting. Also, pray for tomorrow's carnival from 12-2pm. Our students will be responsible for all carnival booths. All students are well and vibrant. Some are a little sleep deprived and tired but other than that we are all great. Pray for physical strength, extra energy, patience for the last two days. Thank you ahead of time for your prayers.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Trust Game

After dinner we had a time of "unity" building. Students started out in their teams working with a hula hoop. I don't know the name of this game, but if you are a Type A personality like myself, this game makes you nuts. The object is to lift the hula hoop up and down as a group. Each person can only touch the hula hoop with one finger. Loads of fun. The second game they played was a whirlwind game. One student stood in the center of the circle an let the others move them around in a circle as they fell back on their hands. The last game was the trust fall. Rocky and Chris attempted this first. Did you know we have some really STRONG students? Ha! They had a great time, but most of all they are learning to trust each other.

Happy Birthday Ryan and Alex!

Yesterday Alex Smith celebrated her 18th birthday and today Ryan Durban celebrated his 18th birthday. So, tonight we celebrated both birthdays. We had a little cake for them.


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Wednesday - June 20

Wednesday is officially over. I am so proud of our students. They continue to serve and shine doing it. They have such a servant's heart. I was most impressed with Jadi today. All three students taught today during Bible time, but if you know Jadi you know that she tends to be on the shy side. NOT TODAY! It was like watching another person...I was seeing Jesus through her. Incredible! Our students ROCK!

Today's slide show...loving God, loving people, loving life!

Video of the Day

Today in the gym each team was numbered. When your number was called you had to run and pick up a swim noodle and try to be the first to hit the beach ball on your assigned wall of the gym.

My favorite video today was Susan playing one of the children. They were too funny. What great fun they had today.



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Adding comments

Parents, family, and friends:

If you are interested in leaving your student or the group a comment, just click on "add comments" at the end of a blog entry. Be sure to leave us your name. We will make sure we read the comments to the group during our time together each night.

All is well here! Thanks for your prayers. Keep them coming!

Giordano's Restaurant

Tonight we made our way to downtown Chicago...might I add after this week I never want to drive in downtown Chicago again. "Delores", the GPS system (yes, we named her), is truly having a problem with all the construction. She likes to say "stay left" and so when we do and ended up taking the wrong exit, she says "recalculating." Just lovely!

We ate at Giordano's famous pizzeria. It is known for it's stuffed pizza. Yumm! Yumm! After our adventure at Giordano's we went to the Sear's tower. Have you ever rode an elevator 103 floors in one minute? We have!

Downtown was gorgeous. Here's a slide show of some of the things we saw.


Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Tuesday - June 19

Day Two is officially here. Today was the first day our students lead the Bible story. Great job goes out to Casey, Easton, Rocky, and Jadi. The rest of the students did a great job with their assignments. Gym time, crafts, and team time went well also. Several students shared how some children are volunteering to pray aloud in front of their peers. Relationships are still being formed between the children and our students. The bond continues to grow more each day. Below you will find a slide show for the events of the day. But don't forget to keep scrolling down for more after you watch the slide show.



As the official photographer, there are always moments that you get lucky to catch on video or camera. Today I have two favorites. My first favorite is a video of Mikey and one of the campers. They were having a fun time arm wrestling during arrival/free time. Their time was so geniune... the smiles and laughter. Enjoy!

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My other favorite was Maggie Moore trying to double dutch. Maggie has said that she did get it this morning, but as soon as I pulled out my camera all confidence left the room. We did have a good laugh. I must say that she is alot closer to getting the ryhthm than rest of us. She was so funny watching. Enjoy!

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Monday, June 18, 2007

Chicago White Sox Game

Monday night our group had the opportunity to go to a Chicago White Sox game. The students were so excited. Cameras came out in high fashion. The White Sox gave us our money's worth. By the 5th inning, they were winning 8-4. We did get to see Jim Thome hit a 3-run homerun. Then we saw the fireworks...fun, fun! The White Sox ended up winning 10-6.

The best part for some of our group was there 6th inning seats. Some found themselves sitting on the 4th row behind the White Sox dugout. Mikey even wrestled a few small children for foul balls...the small children WON!

Everyone really enjoyed the game, even those who had never been to a baseball game before. Yes, we have a few in our group that fall into that category. They were real troupers.




Monday - Kids Camp Begins

Today was filled with orientation during the morning and the beginning of Kid's Camp in the afternoon. Everyone was assigned jobs (gym duty, crafts, Bible story, team assistants, washroom duty, hall monitors, etc). It was a great morning getting to know the staff at the Agape Center. There are five college students serving two weeks at the Agape Center. One, Seth, is from Ft. Worth. There are also students that are serving all summer as counselors. One, Wade, has just graduated high school. The rest are 9th - 11th graders. Some of them have been campers that now choose to serve as a counselor. There are eight students who are counselors in training. Most of them are 8th & 9th graders.

After lunch, the doors were opened and camp officially began. The children had 30 minutes of free time. It was fun watching our students interact with them. I had a chance to walk around and take pictures of the kids playing. I had the opportunity to watch my first double dutch jumping live. The girls were so good. So, I had to send you a video.



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Sunday - travel day!

The day began early...leaving DFW at 8:00am on American Airline flight 2328. The flight was great. We landed at 10:00 and the adventure began. By the way, Ohara airport is huge. Six adults headed to ACE car rental to pick up our 15 passenger vans. You just gotta love car rental agencies. Unfortunately, not due to the agency, our rental vans were NOT there. The guys at ACE were great. They found us three 12-passenger vans and two Ford Expeditions. The boys are driving the vans and the girls are driving the Expeditions. (That may be my next car...Ha!)

The 36 miles trek from Ohara to the Agape Center took over 2 hours. Only one word can describe it...TRAFFIC! You should have seen the other side...Whew! God had some laughs as He taught us about "patience." We found the Agape Center in great condition. We had a quick time of introduction with Linda, then everyone found their places.

Four adults made the trip to Walmart for grocery shopping. What an adventure that was! After getting the food all in place, we headed off to the Navy Pier. Wrong! Chris took the lead and after an hour of heading south instead of north on 43, we decided this may not be the way! We had alot of laughs and ended up eating at Crackle Barrel. Fun! Fun! Our bellies were stuffed so we headed home. Chris decided that Julie and Kristie should drive the lead...ha ha ha! The closer we got to the Agape Center the more we realized that something was off....oops! We were traveling on 112th street instead of 111th. Missed a turn! After circling the block three times, Penny came to the rescue and got us home.

Our day was definitely filled with some directionally challenging moments, but everyone is safe and ready for a great week of serving our Heavenly Father!

Friday, June 8, 2007

The Time Is Near

The time is upon us...departure for Chicago mission trip. Forty-five students/adults will be leaving on June 17th for a week of service with "Here's Life Inner City."

“Here's Life Inner City” is the compassionate urban ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. Their mission is to serve and empower the local church to live out God's heart for the poor. Nearly 20 cities throughout the U.S. currently have active teams serving in them.

The Chicago team officially began in 1979. In the years since, they have seen much growth in their team as well as in the opportunities for them to serve the city. They are based out of the Roseland community on the Southside, though their efforts reach across the entire city. God has continued to faithfully rise up individuals that have a heart for the poor to both support and serve in this ministry.


The approach of Here's Life Inner City is best described by the Circle of Hope. The ministry seeks to reach the whole person, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Our vision is inspired by both the Great Commission---to go out and make disciples---and the Great Commandment---to love your neighbor as yourself.

The first aspect of connection, evangelizing with compassion, is a way of building a firm foundation for a long-term relationship with a family or individual. We use our Compassionate Products, which are designed to meet crisis needs and serve as a way to introduce a person to Christ. Whether we use food boxes, school supplies, or other materials, people are reached in a practical way with the love of Jesus Christ.

The second aspect of empowerment, the providing and sharing of resources, is how we can use the strategic positioning of the local church within an inner-city community. We offer training, manpower, and materials to help churches effectively minister to the people in their neighborhood. At various times throughout the year, out-of-town volunteers serve through our partnerships.

The final aspect of development, building for the long-term, is necessary because change does not happen overnight. Here's Life Inner City uses several programs, such as after-school tutoring and mentoring, youth development, counseling for addictions, and more, to bring deep and lasting transformation to these neighborhoods.


We will be helping put on a day camp that begins around noon as the students get out of summer school. We will be the manpower to help make these camps work. The camps are like backyard Bible clubs. We will be leading and helping with activities during these camps and most importantly, showing Christ’s love to the kids. The staff at HLIC will equip us and train us each morning to get us ready for the day camp. This is an incredible way to invest in the lives of children who need to know that Jesus loves them.